A sense of humour is important to your health. If you can laugh when things are not going to plan instead of getting stressed, you will not create all the attendant physical problems of stress. Stress lowers your immunity and creates physical and mental tension in your body. By keeping stress levels down also you are able to consider your responses to challenging situations as opposed to dealing with them in a knee-jerk way. When you have a sense of humour also you will not be put off if you do not succeed at first but are more likely to get right in there and try again.In our video this week, the intention is cultivate a sense of humour through playfulness in our yoga practice. Also nothing challenges our sense of humour like balancing poses and so we will be playing around with Tree pose. To add to the challenges of this week’s video I had to compete with a brewing storm in the background. Many years ago I also got married with a storm in the background - not a very good start!The meditation is a quirky one in keeping with our theme. In it we imagine breathing through our hands then feet - hopefully you will still be relaxed and restored by it.If you are enjoying my videos and blog posts please would you consider a small donation? Please note however this is not a condition of enjoying my blogs.To make a donation please see-http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/p/support-this-blog_44.html Thank you.Namaste,

Yoga can help maintain youthful skin and hair. Sun salutations boost circulation bringing nutrients to skin and hair. They also ‘light’ the digestive fire making nutrients available that will nourish skin and hair. Chest openers bring more oxygen into the body and inversions carry this to the skin and hair to nourish it. Twists help rid the body of toxins and help digestion. The following sequence will boost circulation to nourish your skin and hair. It will also rid the body of toxins that affect your skin and hair and open the chest to bring in more oxygen for glowing skin and lustrous locks. You will need a block and a cushion / rolled up blanketStart in Easy pose and practice Kapalabhati breathing. Please see my YouTube Channel for my yoga video- 'Thank goodness it's Friday - breathing practice to energise for the weekend'.Come to standing and do 3 rounds of Sun Salutation A and two rounds of Sun Salutation B. For step by step instructions please see the 'Yoga Pose Gallery' on this blog. Take a Child pose then when you are ready come to all fours.Puppy pose - from all fours walk the hands forward and place your forehead on the mat or a block or cushion. Keep your hips lifted. If this bothers your shoulders take your hands wide or interlace your fingers above your head. To come out of the pose walk your hands back to all fours and come back to extended Child pose.

Cobra - when you are ready come to lying on your tummy. Take your hands to armpit/chest level, breathe in and, pressing lightly into your hands lift your head and chest. Breathe out to lower. Repeat twice more then come back to extended Child pose.

Downward Facing Dog to Standing Forward Bend - come back to all fours, breathe in, tuck your toes, breathe out lift your hips. Hold for 5 breaths then walk your feet forward until your shoulders come over your hands then place your fingertips on the mat or if, you need the ground to be nearer use a block (remember your block has 3 levels). Hold for a few breaths then slowly roll up to standing.

Humble Warrior - stand at the top of the mat with feet at hip distance. Step the left leg back and turn the toes of the left foot out. Swivel the hips so that the hip points face the short edge of the mat. Take your hands behind your back, fingers interlaced, breathe in and bend your front knee, lift your chest, breathe out, release the crown of your head down to the inside of your bent knee, as you lift your arms up. If you have blood pressure issues do not take your head lower than your heart. To come out of the pose, inhale and lift up, take your hands to your hips, exhale, step your feet together at the top of the mat. Repeat second side.

Rabbit - note this pose is not for everyone. As a alternative repeat Puppy pose. For Rabbit pose, sit back on your heels, with a cushion/ rolled up blanket in front of you. Interlace your hands behind your back. Breathe in and as you breathe our lower the TOP of your head onto the cushion/ rolled up blanket as you lift your arms up. Breathe in to come up and lower your arms.

Seated twist- come to seated on a block with your legs outstretched and bend your right knee in. Take your right hand behind your back and wrap your left arm around your right leg. Inhale lengthen your spine, exhale twist to the right. With each breath in, lengthen through your spine, with each breath out, draw your navel back to your spine as you twist.

Supported Legs up the Wall-come to lying with your knees bent. Press into your feet to lift your hips and lower your hips onto two stacked blocks. Lift your hips once more and draw the top block half way towards you and lower again. Inhale, lift your hips-the top block will tilt, supporting your lower back. Stay here for several breaths. To come out of the pose, lower your feet back to the ground, press into your feet to lift your hips and remove the blocks.

Fish pose-lie with your legs outstretched on the mat, roll to the right and place your left arm under your body, palm facing down. Repeat on the other side. This is the modified version of the pose. To go further, if you have no neck issues bend your elbows and come onto the top of your head. Do not try and turn your head or try and speak. To release, take your chin to your chest and straighten your elbows. Hug your knees in and rock from side to side.

We are all connected to each other and to the earth we live
on.We need this connection to
others- being lonely has a profound
effect on well being.When we feel
connected, we can be glad for the good fortune of other, and empathise when
others are suffering.

We also need to feel connection to our earth through
connection with nature.Such a feeling
of connection encourages us to take care of our beautiful earth and the earth
repays us by giving up her bounty to us.She gives us food, medicines and we are discovering more and more of
what she gives us.For instance when you
walk in a forest, the chemicals given out by the trees increase your well being
and calm your mind.

We can feel connected through the breath – all living beings
breathe or respire. This is one of the focuses of our video this week.
Connecting with others also involves communicating with them and so we will
also be balancing the throat chakra.I
also believe we need to open our hearts to feel connection and we will include heart opening in our practice.Our meditation
focuses on connection also.

Yoga can help when it comes to preventing or even reducing
hearing loss.Yoga improves circulation
to the ears nourishing the nerves that carry sensory information to the brain
which is interpreted as sound.This
improved circulation also removes toxins from the ear, helping to prevent infections
that can lead to hearing impairment.

The following sequence will help with the health of your
ears.You will need a block.

Start in Easy pose, sitting on a block and take a few
moments to arrive at your practice and for your breath to settle.

Neck releases (all movements of the neck should be slow)–
sit tall with your chin level with the floor.Breathe in and as you breathe out lower your chin to your chest.Breathe in and lift your chin towards the
ceiling.To intensify the stretch put
your bottom lip over your top lip.Breathe out and lower your chin to your chest.On your next breath out circle your chin to
your right shoulder.Breathe in and
circle your chin to your chest, breathe out circle your chin to your left
shoulder.Continue ‘drawing a necklace’
on your chest with your chin for several movements ending with the left
shoulder.Inhale lift your chin level
with the floor, exhale turn to the right keeping your chin level with the
floor.Inhale back to centre, exhale
turn to the left.Inhale back to centre,
exhale lower your right ear to your right shoulder.Hold for a breath or two then inhale back to
centre and repeat second side.

Shoulder releasing – inhale circle your right arm up, back
and back to centre.Repeat with the left
arm.Your gaze follows your hand.

Cobra – come to lying on your tummy.To make space in your lower back, tuck your
right toes, press your right heel back.Repeat with the left foot.Bring
your hand to armpit/chest.Inhale press
lightly into your hands, lift your head and chest.Exhale to lower.Repeat twice more then press back into an
extended Child pose.

Downward facing Dog to standing – inhale come back to all
fours, tuck your toes, exhale lift your hips into a Downward Facing Dog,Walk your feet forward, hold your elbows then breathe in to
roll up to standing.Triangle – take your legs a leg length apart.Turn your right leg to the right, the toes of
the left foot in at 45 degrees.Men
should line up front heel to back instep, ladies heel to heel.Inhale bring your arms to shoulder height,
exhale bring your left hip back as you fold over the right leg.Bring your right hand to rest on your right
leg anywhere except on the knee and take your left arm up towards the ceiling.Gaze can be straight ahead or up at the left
hand or alternate between the two. Roll your top shoulder back.To
come out of the pose, inhale bring your arms back to shoulder height, exhale
turn your feet to face forward, bring your hands to your heart in prayer.Repeat second side.

Wide leg standing forward bend – take your feet a little
wider, outside edges parallel and bring your hands to your hips.Inhale lift your chest, squeeze your elbows
back, exhale lower to a flat back position, release your fingertips to a block
or to the mat.Stay here if you have
heart or blood pressure problems otherwise as you breathe out release the crown
of your head down, walk your hands back.To come out breathe in and slowly come up.

Legs up the wall – place the short edge of your mat to the
wall and sit on the mat with your knees bent, your right hip close to the
wall.Swivel your legs so that they are
up the wall as you lie back on the mat.Have your arms a little way from your body or take them overhead,
whatever feels comfortable for you.Stay
here for a few minutes.When you are
ready to come out of the pose, roll onto your right side and rest here for a
moment with your knees drawn up towards your chest before slowly coming up on a
breath in.Take a savasana or sit and
watch your breath to finish.

Remember as well that an ounze of prevention is better than
a pound of cure so look after your ears.Avoid prolonged exposure to loud noises – wear ear protection where
necessary. You may also like:-

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

Please click on the video below to watch, 'Qualities cultivated by yoga - ability to forgive'-on my YouTube Channel.Please read the disclaimer on the blog before following these videos -http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclaimer.htmlSometimes it is hard to forgive but holding onto anger, resentment and sadness will only damage your physical, emotional and spiritual well being. For your own sake, it is better to let go, forgive and maybe even have compassion for the person who hurt you. To hurt someone, they must be suffering emotionally themselves. This does not condone such behaviour but it does make forgiving it easier. If forgiving someone else is hard, forgiving yourself is even harder. We all make mistakes and it is through those mistakes that we grow spiritually. Give your mistakes up to the universe and feel the burden of guilt lifted from you. Start again, with more understanding. In our video this week, we will open up the heart area to bring compassion to those that need our forgiveness or ourselves. We also will be opening the hips where we hold negative emotions in order to let go of those emotions. The meditation also focuses on forgiveness.If you are enjoying my videos and blog posts please would you consider a small donation? Please note however this is not a condition of enjoying my blogs.To make a donation please see-http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/p/support-this-blog_44.html

If you are enjoying my blog posts please would you consider a small donation? Please note however this is not a condition of enjoying my blogs.Please see-http://40plusandalliswell.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html

Yoga can help you keep your heart healthy in several
ways.Yoga reduces stress which impacts
on heart health.By reducing stress,
yoga also helps to normalise blood pressure and reduce inflammation, both of
which are essential for a healthy heart.Yoga breathing techniques and meditation also help reduce stress.Yoga also helps strengthen muscles and since
the heart is a muscle, this too helps maintain a healthy heart.The following sequence will help maintain a
healthy heart.

Start in Savasana, gently close your eyes and allow yourself
a few moments to ‘arrive’ at your practice, and watch your breath as it settles
into a smooth, natural, rhythmical pattern.

3 part breath – bring your hands to rest on your tummy, so
that your middle fingers meet at your navel.Without straining direct your breath to the area under your hands, so
that on the breath in you feel the abdomen rise, as you breathe out you feel
the abdomen release back to the spine.Continue for several breaths.When you are ready, bring your hands up to your ribcage so that your
middle fingers touch where the ribs separate to a V.Breathe into the ribcage, directing the
breath to the area under the hands.Feel
your ribs move up and out as you breathe in, out and down as you breathe out –
continue for several breaths.Now move
your hands so that your fingertips rest on your collarbones.Breathe into your ribcage and as your breath
deepens you may feel your chest rise as you breathe in, release as you breathe
out.Continue for several breaths.Now to put it all together – place one hand
on your abdomen, the other on the ribcage.Breathe in and feel your abdomen rise, ribs move up and out, the chest
expand, breathe out and release the abdomen back to your spine, your
ribs move in and down, the chest release.Continue for several breaths then return to normal breathing, feeling
the effect of the breath practice.

Shoulder bridge – bend your knees so that your heels are
close into your buttocks.Have your
hands down by your sides, palms down.Inhale lift your hips, take your arms over head, exhale bring your arms
back by your sides, your hips back down. When you are ready come to all
fours.

Cat/Cow – with your hands directly under your shoulders,
knees directly under your hips, inhale lift your head and chest, exhale tuck
your chin and arch through your back.Continue warming up your spine in this way for several movements then
come to lying on your belly.

Cobra – lie with your hands at armpit/chest level, your
forehead resting on the mat.Breathe in,
lift your head and chest, pressing lightly into your hands.You should not feel a pinching in the lower
back, if you do, lower a little.Hold
for a couple of breaths then breathe out to lower. Repeat twice more then rest
in Child pose.

Downward Facing Dog to Standing Forward Bend – when you are
ready come back to all fours.Breathe
in, tuck your toes, breath in, lift your hips for Downward Facing Dog.Take 5 breaths here then walk your feet
forward until your shoulders come over your hands.Use a block if you need to bring the ground
nearer, work into straight legs and release the crown of your head down.If you have heart issues or high blood
pressure do not have your head lower than your heart.When you are ready breathe in and slowly roll
up.

Triangle pose – stand in the middle of the mat and step your
feet a leg length apart.Turn the right
leg to the right and turn the toes of the left foot in about 45 degrees – men
line up front heel to back instep, ladies heel to heel. Breathe in, take your
arms out to shoulder height, breathe out take your hips to the left as you
extend over your right leg bringing your right hand to your right leg (anywhere
except on the knee) and your left hand up toward the ceiling.Your gaze can be up at the left hand or
straight ahead, depending on your neck.To come out of the pose, breathe in come up, arms out at shoulder
height, breathe out turn your feet to face forward, bring your hands to your
heart.Repeat second side.

Tree – stand in the middle of your mat and separate your
feet slightly. Take your weight into your left foot and peel your right foot
away to cup your left ankle, rest against your left shin or reach down and
bring your right foot up to your left thigh.Find a drishti, gaze point, breathe in and take your arms up.Hold for several breaths then breathe out to
release.Repeat second side.

Janu sirsasana – sit on your block and bring your right foot
to rest against your left inner thigh.If your right knee does not rest on the floor, support it with another
block or a cushion.Line up your breast
bone with your left leg. Breathe in raise your arms, breathe out and hinging
from the groin, fold over the left leg, bringing your hands to rest either side
of your legs or, if you can do so without straining, hold the sides of your left
foot.Breathe in, lengthen through the
crown of your head, breathe out fold, releasing your head down.Hold for 5 breaths then inhale to come up
slowly. Repeat second side.

Seated forward fold – sit on a block with your legs outstretched. Breathe in, raise your arms, breathe out and hinging from the groin fold forward bringing your hands either side of your legs or to the outsides of your feet. Breathe in, lengthen through the crown of your head, breathe out fold, release the crown of your head down. Hold for five breaths then inhale to slowly come up.

Savansana-lie back on your mat, close your eyes and sink into the support of the earth to receive the benefits of your practice. Stay here 10-15 minutes before deepening your breath, stretching out, then turning onto your right side for a minute before coming up.Please also see Youth boost yoga-spinal flexibility and Age reverse - HeartIf you are enjoying my videos and blog posts please would you consider a small donation? Please note however this is not a condition of enjoying my blogs.

Thursday, 10 August 2017

Please click on the video below to watch, 'Qualities cultivated by yoga - generosity'-on my YouTube Channel.Please read the disclaimer on the blog before following these videos -http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclaimer.htmlGenerosity comes from a place of feeling like you have abundance, for only if you feel you have abundance do you feel you can give freely to others.This does not just mean financial abundance but before you can be generous to others in terms of being kind, loving, and generous with your time, you need to be kind and loving to yourself and allow yourself time to look inside of yourself, be with your emotions. Our asana practice can support this. In our yoga video this week we are using the asanas to open up our bodies,creating space for abundance to enter into our lives - abundance from which we can give out to others. Our practice this week therefore includes hip and heart openers. We finish with a meditation on an inner smile, creating relaxation and well being in your body.

If you are enjoying my videos and blog posts please would you consider a small donation? Please note however this is not a condition of enjoying my blogs.

Yogis say you are as young as your spine is flexible. The following sequence will help you have a healthy spine and body, youthful posture, a strong core and back that is free from aches and pains.You will need a block:-Start in Extended Child pose arms extended forward as you press your tailbone back creating space between the vertebrae..Visualise the breath massaging the spine.Watch the breath until it settles into a rhythmical pattern then come to seated on a
block.

Spinal twist-bring your fingertips to your shoulders, inhale twist to the left, exhale twist to the right and continue for 2-3 minutes. Come to all fours.

Tiger - start on all fours, inhale take the right leg back, exhale bend your right knee, inhale,reach round with your left hand to hold your right foot and on your next inhale lift your right foot up towards the ceiling. To release breathe out bring your right knee into your chest then down on the mat, release your right hand to the mat. Repeat second side. Take another extended Child pose then come down onto your tummy.

Wild Thing - from Downward Facing Dog, breathe in and take your right leg back, breathe out and drop your right heel to your left buttock, opening your hips to the right. Bend your left knee a little and let your right foot come down on your left side as you lift your chest towards the ceiling. To come out of the pose breathe out, engage your core and 'flip' back to Downward Facing Dog. Repeat second side then take a Child's Pose. To modify the pose, from Downward Facing Dog, inhale drop your knees to come to all fours. Swing your left foot to the right and extend your right leg so that your right foot is level with your left knee. Breathe in and take your right arm up and over, lifting your chest to the ceiling. To come out of the pose, breathe out, engage your core then 'flip' back to all fours. Repeat second side then take Child's Pose. Come back to Downward Facing Dog and walk your feet forward and slowly roll to standing.

Triangle Pose to Side Angle Pose – step the feet wide, turn the right leg to the right and turn the back toes in, making sure that the heel of the right foot lines up with the instep of the left for men or for ladies line up heel to heel. Inhale stretch the arms out at shoulder height , exhale take your hips to left as you fold over the front leg. Gaze can be up at the left hand or down at your big toe. When you are ready to come out, inhale bring your arms up to shoulder height, exhale bend the front knee, inhale take the right hand to the floor, a block or rest your right elbow on your right thigh, exhale circle the left arm down then up by the ear. Gaze can be straight ahead or up at the left hand. Open the chest by rolling the left shoulder back. Inhale to bring your arms back to shoulder height and straighten the front knee, exhale hands to heart, turn the feet to face forward. Repeat 2nd side.

Wide Leg Standing Forward Bend Variation – step your feet wide and have the outside edges parallel to the outside edges of the mat. Take your hands behind the back, interlace your fingers. Inhale lift your chest, exhale fold to a flat back position. Stay here if you have problems with high blood pressure etc. otherwise breathe in and as you breathe out bring the crown of your head down, your arms up and over. Breathe in to come up slowly then step your feet together.

Reverse Plank - come into a seated position with your legs outstretched and on the mat. Take your hands behind your hips fingers pointing back towards your hips. Breathe in and lift your hips rolling the soles of your feet towards the mat. Keep the back of your neck long. To modify have the knees bent. Breathe out to release, lie back on your mat and hug your knees in.